Charlotte Gainsbourg Interview

Daughter of the star couple Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Charlotte Gainsbourg has proven herself as a major international actress, scooping best actress at Cannes 2009 for Lars Van Trier's Antichrist.

Between IRM, her third album as a singer, and 2006’s 5:55, Charlotte Gainsbourg – actress, singer and French icon – suffered a cerebral haemorrhage. IRM (the French for MRI) is consequently a deeply reflective yet tentatively optimistic album. IRM was recorded with Beck and written largely by him from lyrical scraps passed on by Gainsbourg.

The singer speaks to Cinémoi about this new record, which is full of invention. The title track takes a sample of an MRI machine and uses it as an instrument, akin to a guitar solo. Beck's pastiche-laden style is made real by Gainsbourg's gentle sincerity. Although conceived as a sister album to 5:55, this is much more than a mere sequel – at times it is so minimal and skeletal, the songs are in need of intensive care. Yet it is unafraid to rock (Trick Pony, Dandelion) or be resolutely commercial – the duet with Beck and lead single, Heaven Can Wait, and Time of the Assassins are surprisingly perky pop tracks that reveal gorgeous melodies.
The result is as unsettling as it is uplifting. Although her last album sold half a million worldwide, Charlotte Gainsbourg remains very much a delicacy in the UK. The deeply moving and organic IRM deserves a wider audience, as it is one of 2010’s first great examples of accomplished, adult pop.